Pneumatic-despatch-tube apparatus.



E. A. FORDYCE.

PNEUMATIC DESPATOH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26,1806.

1,106,346, Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

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PNEUMATIC DBSPATCH TUBE APPARATUS 1, 1 APPLICATION TILED NOV.26,190fl.Patented Aug. 41

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E. A. PORDYGE.

PNEUMATIC DESPATGH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 26,1906.

1,106,346 Patented Aug.4,1914,

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO1, PHOTO L!THO,. WASHING TON D C,

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EDMOND A. FORDYCE, ,OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGN-MENTS, T0 AMERICAN PNEUMATIC SERVICE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHU-SETTS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

PNEUMATIC-DESPATCH-TUBE APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au". 4,1914.

Application filed November 26, 1906. Serial N 0. 345,060.

of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneu matic-Despatch-TubeApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in pneumatic dcspatch tubeapparatus and particularly to vacuum systems wherein the carriers aretransmitted therethrough by means of the admission of atmosphericpressure through a suitable opening or air inlet.

The object of this invention is to simplify and render more eil'icient,the mechanism and operation thereof controlling and timing the admissionof the atmospheric pressure tl'irough said air inlet for the propertransmission and delivery of carriers.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a construction embodyingmy in vention, Figure 1 is a diagram of an ordinary pneumatic tubesystem; showing the mechanism controlling the bell mouth or air inlet.Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing the normal or closedposition of the mechanism controlling the bell mouth or air inlet. Fig.3 is an enlarged sectional view of the controlling mechanism showing acarrier being despatched and air inlet open.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the severalviews.

A is a bell mouth or air inlet for the reception of carriers and B is atransmission tube connecting the bell mouth A with the delivery terminalC, which terminal is controlled by the ordinary delivery valve D.

F is a transmission tube for thereturn of carriers and connects theterminal C with the terminal G controlled by the usual valve H. Theinlet valve J is for the insertion of carriers into the tube F.

E is a suction tube connecting the ter-: minal G with the usual vacuumdrum and adapted to exhaust the air from the tubes B and F.

1 is a casing in which is mounted one end of the transmission tube B andthe bell mouth or air inlet A adapted to communicate with saidtransmission tube B.

2 is a valve pivoted on the pin 3 within the casing 1 and adapted tocontrol the communication of the bell mouth A with the transmission tubeB. i

Mounted in the lower part of the casing 1 1s a cylinder 4 in which ismounted a piston 5 carrylng a piston rod 6 adapted to operate the valve2 through the medium of the bell crank lever 7 and link 8. The cylinder4: is closed at its-upper end from the vacuum chamber 9 of the casing 1,which chamber 9 is in communication with the transmission tube 13. Thelower part of the cylinder 4. below the piston 5 communicates with theatmosphere through a port 10 controlled by an adjustable timing screw 11held in adjustment by the nut 12. At one side of the cylinder t is avalve chamber 13 open at the lower end to the atmosphere, its upper endopening into the vacuum chamber 9. Connecting the valve chamber 13 withthe lower part of the cylinder 4- bclow the piston 5 is a port 1 1 andconnecting the upper part of the cylinder 1 above the piston 5 with thevalve chamber 13 is a port 15. A pipe 16 connects one side of the valvechamber 13 with the suction tube E.

Mounted in the valve chamber 13 is a spool valve 17 having an outerperipheral valve chamber 18 and an. inner chamber 19, the outerperipheral chamber 18 being in continuous communication with the pipe16, the inner chamber 19 being open to the atmosphere at its lower end.The upper part of the inner chamber 19 carries the ports 20 which areadapted in certain positions of the valve to comnnmicate with the ports15 thereby admitting atmospheric pressure to the upper part of cylinder1 above the piston 5. The outer peripheral chamber 18 is adapted tocommunicate with either port .15 or port 1-11; imlcpcndently, therebypermitting a vacuum in the cylinder 4; either above or below the piston5. The movement of the spool valve 17 in a downward direction is limitedby the pin or stop 21. The movement of the spool valve 17 in an upwarddirection is limited by the engagement of the upper end of the valvewith the inclined part of the casing in which the opening 2 1 is formed.A pivot valve 22 pivoted to the casing 1 at 23 controls the admission ofthe atmosphere through the opening 24: to the vacuum chamber 9. Thisvalve 22 is adapted to be operated by a trip 25 projecting into the bellmouth A into the path of the carriers.

If it is desired to dcspatch a carrier from A to C, the operator insertsa carrier into the bell mouth A (see Fig. 3) which strilres the trip 25opening the pivot valve 22 causing an inrush of atmospheric pressurethrough the opening 2% destroying the vacuum above the spool valve 17which causes said valve to drop by gravity until the ports 20communicate with port 15 permitting the atmospheric pressure to enterfrom the inner chamber 19 into the cylinder 4.- above the piston 5causing said piston to be forced downward from its normal position shownin Fig. 2 to the position shown in F 3, and through the medium of thepiston rod 6, link 8, and bell crank lever 7,

opening the valve 2 and admitting the carricr which is driven by theinrush of air into the transmission tube B. In the meantime, with thespool valve in the position shown in Fig. 3, the air in the cylinder 1beneath the piston 5 has been allowed to escape through the port 1 1-and outer peripheral chamber 18 into the pipe 16 in the directionindicated by the arrow. The trip 25 is released immediately after thepassage of the ca rier closing the valve 22 and openin 2 1 causing apartial vacuum to form in the chamber 9, lifting the spool valve 17 tothe position shown in Fig. 2, closing the communication of the port 15with the atmosphere and causing the port 15 to communicate with theouter peripheral cham ber 18 whereby the air is exhausted from the upperpart of the cylinder 4 above the piston 5 through the port 15 andchamber 18 into the pipe 16 in the direction indicated by the arrow. Thepiston now slowly rises in the cylinder as the air is admitted to thecylinder below the piston through the graduated port 10, and by the timethe valve 2 has entirely closed, the carrier has delivered through thevalve B at the terminal C. In returning a carrier from the terminal C tothe terminal G, the inlet valve J is opened and the carrier insertedinto the transmission tube F and the inlet valve closed. The opening ofthe inlet valve J, admits the atmosphere destroying the vacuum in thetube B and chamber 9 causing the spool valve 17 to drop, admittingatmospheric pressure to the cylinder 4 above the piston and opening thevalve 2 as hereinbeztore described, admitting air for driving thecarrier from the terminal 0 to the terminal G. The valve 2 in themeantime is gradually closed in the manner identical with that alreadydescribed, the interval of time being adjusted by the timing screw.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and set forth aconstruction embodying the same, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. in a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a transit tube through whichcarriers are transmitted, a sending station into which carriers areinserted for transmission, means for exhausting air from said tube, avalve normally closing said tube and adapted to open to admit air intosaid tube for driving carriers, a cylinder, a piston connected with saidvalve and adapted to operate in said cylinder, and mechanism adapted tobe operated by fluctuations of pressure in said tube to admit air tosaid cylinder and to move said piston to open said valve.

2. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a transit tube through whichcarriers are transmitted, a sending station into which carriers areinserted for transmission, means for exhausting air from said tube, avalve normally closing said tube and adapted to open to admit air intosaid tube for driving carriers, a cylinder, a piston connected with saidvalve and adapted to operate in said cylinder, mechanism adapted to beoperated by fluctuation of pressure in said tube to admit air to saidcylinder and move said piston to open said valve, and means for causinga return movement of said piston and eiiecting the closure of saidvalve.

3. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a transit tube through whichcarriers are transmitted, a sending station into which carriers areinserted for transmission, means for exhausting air from said tube, avalve normally closing said tube and adapted to open to admit air intosaid tube for driving carriers, a cylinder, a piston connected to saidvalve and adapted to operate in said cylinder, mechanism adapted to beoperated by fluctuations of pressure in said tube to admit air to saidcylinder and move said piston to open said valve, and means, operated onthe insertion of a carrier, for causing a fluctuation of the pressure insaid tube to operate said mechanism.

4. In a pneumatic despatch ratus, a transit tube through which. carriersare transmitted, a sending station into which carriers are inserted fortransmission, means for exhausting air from said tube, a valve normallyclosing said tube and adapted to open to admit air into said tube fordriving carriers, a cylinder, a piston connected to said valve andadapted to operate in said cylinder, mechanism adapted to be operated byfluctuation of pressure in said tube to admit air into said cylinder andmove said piston to open said valve, and means for causing a fluctuationof the pressure in said tube to operate said mechanism.

5. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a transit tube through whichcarriers are transmitted, a sending station into which carriers areinserted for transmission, means for exhausting air from said tube, avalve normally closing said tube and adapted to open to admit air intosaid tube for tube appadriving carriers, a cylinder, a piston connectedto said valve and adapted to operate in said cylinder, mechanism adaptedto be operated by fluctuation of pressure in said tube to admit air tosaid cylinder and move said piston to open said valve, means operated onthe insertion of a carrier for causing a fluctuation of the pressure insaid tube to operate said mechanism, and means for timing the closure ofsaid valve.

6. In a. pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a transit tube having .asingle inlet for both the admission of carriers and the outside air forpropelling carriers through the tube, means for exhausting air from saidtube, a single valve, normally closed; controlling said inlet andadapted to open to admit carriers and also outside air for propellingthe carriers through the tube, and pneumatic means connected with saidvalve and adapted to be operated by fluctuation of pressure in saidtransit tube to open the valve to admit outside air through said inletto said tube.

7. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a transit tube having asingle inlet for both the admission of carriers and the outside air forpropelling the carriers through the tube, means for exhausting air fromsaid tube, a single valve, normally closed, controlling said inlet andadapted to open to admit carriers and also outside air for propellingthe carriers through the tube, pneumatic means connected with said.valve and adapted to be operated by the admission of outside airpressure to open said valve, and mechanism adapted to be operated by afluctuation of pressure in said transit tube to admit outside air tosaid pneumatic means.

8. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a transit tube through whichcarriers are transmitted, means for exhausting air from said tube,avalve normally closing said tube and arranged to admit a carrier to thetransit tube and to admit air into said tube for driving carriers,mechanism, connected with said valve, and adapted to be operated by theadmission of atmospheric pressure, to open said valve, means operatingupon the insertion of a carrier for admitting atmosphcric pressure tosaid mechanism, and means for timing the closingof the valve.

9. In a pneumatic despateh tube appa ratus, a transit tube through whichcarriers are transmitted, means for exhausting air from said tube, avalve normally closing said tube and arranged to admit a carrier to thet'ansit tube and to admit air into said tube for driving carriers,mechanism, connected with said valve and adapted to be ope 'ated by theadmission of atmospheric pressure, to open said valve, andmeans,operated by a fluctuation of pressure in said tube upon theinsertion of a carrier, for admitting atmospheric pressure to saidmechanism.

10. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a. transit tube having aninlet for both the admission of carriers and the outside air forpropelling the carriers through the tube, means for exhausting air fromsaid tube, a valve, normally closed, controlling said inlet and adaptedto open to admit carriers and also outside air for propelling thecarriers through the tube, means connected with said valve and adaptedto be operated by the admission of outside air-pressure to open saidvalve, and mechanism adapted to be operated by a fluctuation of pressurein said transit tube to admit outside air to said means which areconnected with said valve.

11. In a pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a transit tube having aninlet for both the admission of carriers and the outside air forpropelling the carriers through the tube, means for exhausting air fromsaid tube, a. valve, normally closed, controlling said inlet and adaptedto open to admit carriers and also outside air for propelling thecarriers through the tube, means connected with said valve and adaptedto be operated by the admission of outside air-pressure to open saidvalve, mechanism adapted to be operated by a fluctuation of pressure insaid transit tube to admit outside air to said means which are connectedwith said valve, and means for timing the closing of said valve.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing IWltllPSSCSytlllS 14th day of November, A.l). 1906.

EDMOND A. FORDYOE.

\Vitnesses:

II. I). iVarremIoUsn, CL. C. JENNINGS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

